Rita Süssmuth
Rita Süssmuth is a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She served as President of the Bundestag from 1988 until 1998. Since 2005, she has been the President of the OTA Hochschule, a private university in Berlin.
Education
Dr. Süssmuth graduated in Romance Languages and History in Munster, Tubingen. In 1961, she received her Masters in Educational Science, Sociology, and Psychology in Paris. She also holds a PhD from the University of Munster.
Political Career
After graduating in 1964, Rita Süssmuth became a faculty member in Education at the University of Dortmund, Ruhr University, and their predecessor institutions from 1966 to 1972. In 1981, she joined the CDU. A year later served as Director of the Institute for Women and Society in Hanover until 1985. She actively started her political career in 1985 as the Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth under Chancellor Helmut Kohl. In 1986, she became the Federal Leader of the Women’s Union and acquired an influential position in her party. She became a member of the Bundestag in 1987 and maintained the post until 2002. She is currently a member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, an organization established in 2008 to monitor tolerance in Europe and prepare recommendations to European governments and IGOs on fighting xenophobia and anti-Semitism. In addition, she sits on the Advisory Board for the German Foundation for World Population.
Special Achievements
In 2006, Süssmuth was awarded the Magnus Hirschfeld Medal for Sexual Reform for her courageous and far-sighted approach in the fight against HIV/AIDS during her tenure as Federal Minister from 1985-1988. She has also written several key publications including "AIDS: A Way out of Fear" (1987), "Anyone Who Does Not Fight has Already Lost" (2000) and Migration and Integration: A Test Case for our Society (2006).
